Stacey Gustavson knew she was ready for the next step. She had spent years working in higher education, developing programs, supporting students, and earning the trust of her institution. When a position opened up that matched her experience, she decided to apply.
She was told she couldn’t. Not because of her work, but because she didn’t have a master’s degree.
“I just knew I needed the extra credential to continue growing in my career,” Gustavson said.
That moment of frustration became a turning point. Gustavson enrolled in the Master of Education in Higher Education through Penn State World Campus and graduated in 2017. Since then, she has received multiple promotions, been recognized at the national level for her work in equity and access, and been honored with the 2023 Penn State World Campus Outstanding Alumni Award.
The closed door, it turned out, led somewhere better.
The right fit at the right time
Gustavson works in higher education administration — specifically community college administration, a field she has been dedicated to for more than 20 years. When she decided to pursue a graduate degree, she needed a program that matched what she did every day.
Penn State’s higher education master’s program, offered through the College of Education, was that fit. It was fully online, taught by Penn State faculty, and built around the very subjects she was navigating at work — enrollment, student access, policy, and institutional change.
“What I learned in class, I used at work,” Gustavson said. “And what I was doing at work allowed me to build on topics in my classes. What was really critical to my success was that what I was learning in class was so relevant to my day-to-day job.”
The flexibility of online learning let her keep working full-time. The quality of her professors — all College of Education faculty — ensured she was challenged and prepared. She finished in 2017, and the promotions followed.
From missed opportunity to director
Today, Gustavson serves as the director of college access and enrollment at Montgomery College, a large community college in Montgomery County, Maryland, that has been recognized as the most diverse community college in the continental United States, serving more than 45,000 students.
In that role, she oversees admissions, recruitment, and enrollment — a direct line from the credential she earned through Penn State to the scope of her current responsibilities.
One of her signature accomplishments was helping design and launch a college-wide student enrollment support hub that brought together admissions, enrollment, phone services, and visitor support under one roof. In its sixth year, the hub has logged more than 200,000 student interactions annually.
“Earning the degree opened me up to a whole new level of job opportunities,” Gustavson said. “More importantly, I think it gave me the confidence, and it gave me the skills and the knowledge to grow, to expand, and to explore new opportunities.”
A voice for access and equity
Beyond her institution, Gustavson has become a recognized voice in the national higher education community. She contributed to an inclusive admissions policy paper developed through the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) as the only community college representative involved in that work. She has served on boards promoting international education at the community college level and co-led the implementation of a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center at Montgomery College in partnership with the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
She has been recognized as an Outstanding Staff Member Award recipient at her institution and received a NISOD award in 2021, a national recognition for excellence in teaching and leadership at community and technical colleges.
“Without my experience in the higher education master’s degree program, I would not have had the knowledge, skills, and confidence to achieve these promotions,” Gustavson said.
The bigger picture
Gustavson’s story is exactly what Penn State World Campus was built for: a working professional who needed a top-tier graduate degree to match the career she was already building — and the flexibility to earn it without walking away from her life in the meantime.
She received the 2023 Penn State World Campus Outstanding Alumni Award, a recognition of graduates who have distinguished themselves through their professional contributions and service.
That award — and the career behind it — traces back to a moment of being told no. And to the decision she made afterward.
This spotlight is part of “40k alumni: 40 stories celebrating 40,000 graduates,” a series marking the milestone of more than 40,000 Penn Staters earning their degrees online through Penn State World Campus.